Story Highlights

Center Jeff Skinner signed a six-year, $34.35 million extension this summer, guaranteeing he'd be a cornerstone of the Carolina Hurricanes for years to come.

Because of the NHL lockout, he'll start celebrating in the American Hockey League.

Skinner, the 2010-11 NHL rookie of the year, was one of 28 players whom the Hurricanes sent to the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday ahead of the 11:59 p.m. ET lockout deadline.

Players on two-way contracts -- Skinner is the final year of his entry-level contract -- can be sent to the AHL during the lockout, and teams want to make sure their youngsters continue to develop while the NHL is silent.

All are eligible to be recalled when a labor agreement is reached.

Edmonton Oilers winger Jordan Eberle, who signed a six-year, $36 million extension, was assigned to Oklahoma City, along with 2011-12 rookie of the year finalist Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and college free agent-signee Justin Schultz. They also returned No. 1 overall pick Nail Yakupov to his Sarnia (Ontario) Sting junior team. Taylor Hall is rehabbing a shoulder injury and will continue to be paid by the Oilers while he's hurt.

"With all the guys coming down, it's going to be great," Eberle told the Oilers website. "At the end of the day, no one really wants to sit around at home and wait for hockey -- you want to be playing, so it's a great idea."

Henrique and Eberle have spent time in the AHL, but this will be Skinner's first trip. He made the NHL straight out the Kitchener (Ontario) Rangers and had 31 goals as a rookie.

His contract calls for him to be paid $67,500 in the AHL, compared with $900,000 in the NHL, although he'd be earning nothing in the NHL during a lockout. He has a $90,000 signing bonus, according to CapGeek.com.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Tyler Seguin wouldn't be assigned to Providence because he would have to clear waivers.

Other notable players were assigned to the AHL on Friday:

Washington Capitals: Braden Holtby and Dmitry Orlov. Holtby was a late call-up who helped Washington upset the Bruins in the first round and pushed the New York Rangers to seven games. He was expected to challenge Michal Neuvirth for the No. 1 job in net. Orlov, a defenseman, had 19 points in 60 games in his first NHL season.

Buffalo Sabres: Cody Hodgson, Marcus Foligno and Luke Adam. Hodgson was a 41-point scorer between Buffalo and the Vancouver Canucks. Foligno had 13 points in 14 NHL games after a March call-up, and Adam had 20 points in 50 games before being sent down in February.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Johansen, a first-round pick who had 21 points in 67 games as a rookie last season.

New York Islanders: Travis Hamonic and Nino Niederreiter, who played 81 and 55 games, respectively, last season.

Detroit Red Wings: Brendan Smith and Gustav Nyquist. Both were expected to make the roster of the parent team.

This year's AHL talent level could be the highest since the 2004-05 NHL lockout resulted in an AHL All-Star Game that featured Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Kesler, Dustin Brown, Ryan Miller and others.

The AHL on Friday announced rules for accepting players after the lockout begins. According to the league, NHL players can sign AHL contracts only if they finished last season there or were on the clear day roster.

That would further limit options for players if they're locked out. Already, Sweden has said it won't accept players unless they stay all season. The Kontinental Hockey League set limits of three NHL players and one veteran foreigner per team, though non-Russian KHL teams can have more than one foreigner,